Telephone sterilizer



April 13, 1943. G. 1.. DANLEY ETAL TELEPHOfiE STERILI ZER Filed March13, 1.941

'INVENTOR. GAIL L. flA/YLL). BY ALVl/Y Go/wo/y.

A TTORHEY.

Patented Apr. 13, 1943 TELEPHONE STERILIZER Gail L. Danley and Alvin J.Gordon Denver, 0010.

Application March 13, 1941, Serial No. 383,126

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an automatic telephone sterilizer and has forits principal object that it will automatically come into operationwhenever the telephone is not in use. and will cease operation while thetelephone is in use; to provide a combined telephone base and sterilizerwhich will not require any attachment of any nature to the telephone orits associated apparatus; which will not interfere in any way with thenormal use of the phone; and which can be quickly adapted for eitherright or left hand use.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of theinvention which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency.These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention reference'is hadto the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numoralsrefer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout thedescription.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view looking at the rear of a typical telephone,illustrating the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the improved telephone base and sterilizer withthe phone removed therefrom;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a cross section therethrough, taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 2;and

Fig. 5 is a. detail section, taken on the line 5--5, Fig. 2,illustrating the automatic switching arrangement.

In the drawing a typical telephone is illustrated at 12 and the hand setthereof at M with its transmitter at l5 and receiver at Hi.

The improved telephone stand and sterilizer consists of a base box "I inwhich is a floor plate ll. The floor plate is positioned intermediatethe top and bottom of the box l so as to provide a socket in the top ofthe box for receiving the base of the telephone l2 and to provide anenclosed housing below the floor for the reception of a suitabletransformer I3.

When the hand set M is in place on the telephone, the transmitter lover-hangs one side of the base box l0. At that side of the box In, alamp housing I] is secured in any suitable mannot such as by means ofbolts It. The lamp housing I1 is provided with a lamp receptacle l9 atone extremity from which a tubular Sterilamp" 2!! projects.

Immediately below the transmitter 15, the light housing I! is providedwith a light opening 2| through which the rays of light from the lamp 20are thrown into the transmitter [5. A shielding sleeve 22 extendsupwardly about the opening 20 to a position immediately below thetransmitter i5 so as to prevent stray rays from being thrown to anyother position than into the transmitter.

The lamp 20 is operated by current from the transformer l3 throughsuitable conductors 24.

' Current is fed into the transformer through a flexible cord 23.

As thus far described, the device makes a highly efficient mouthpiecesterilizer for the telephone. Each time that the hand set is replaced,the transmitter thereof will be positioned immediately over thegermicidal rays being emitted by the lamp 20 so that the mouthpiece willbe effectively and completely sterilized.

Some telephone users prefer to have the transmitter positioned to theright of the telephone set and others prefer it to the left. This devicecan be adapted for either preference by simply removing the lamp housingI! from one side and placing it on the other side of the box II].

It is preferred to provide means to extinguish the lamp while the phoneis in use so as to prevent the light rays from striking the eyes of thephone user. When desired, this is accomplished by means of a mercuryswitch tube 25 in the electric circuit of the lamp 2D. The tube 25 ismounted in the usual retaining yoke 26 which is pivotally mounted on apivot pin 21. An arm 28 extends from the yoke 26 outwardly and upwardlyin the light opening 2| to a point where it will be contacted by thetransmitter 15. A suitable spring 29 urges the arm 28 upwardly towardsthe transmitter.

Thus, whenever the hand set is replaced on the phone, the pressure ofthe transmitter on the arm 28 will tilt the mercury switch to. cause themercury to close the circuit therein to the lamp 20, and whenever thehand set is removed, the spring will tilt the mercury switch back tobreak the circuit.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described andillustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may bevaried, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired securedby Letters Patent is: c 4

1. A telephone sterilizing device comprising: a base for supporting atelephone; a raised rim on said base to engage and accurately positionthe telephone thereon; a lamp housing secured to one side of said base;a sterilizing lamp in said housing; an opening in the top of saidhousing in alignment with the normal, at-rest position of thetransmitter of said telephone; and an enclosing shield extendingupwardly about said opening to confine light rays emitted through saidopening to the area of said transmitter.

2. A telephone sterilizing device comprising: a base for supporting atelephone; a raised rim on said base to engage and accurately positionthe telephone thereon; a lamp housing secured to one side of said base;a sterilizing lamp in said housing; an opening in the top of saidhousing in alignment with the normal, at-rest position of thetransmitter of said telephone; and an enclosing shield extendingupwardly about said opening to confine light rays emitted through saidopening to the area of said transmitter, said lamp housing beinginterchangeable to either side of said bue so that the transmitter maybe placed on either side of said phone.

3. A telephone sterilizer comprising: a sterilizing lamp; means forsupporting said lamp in juxta-position to the mouthpiece of a telephoneso that the rays of the lamp will enter the mouthpiece thereof; atilting mercury switch in circuit with said lamp; a tilting armextending from said switch to a position in the path of the telephonetransmitter as it approaches its "at rest position so that the weight01' the transmitter will tilt the switch to close a circuit to saidlamp.

. 4. A telephone sterilizer comprising: a sterilizing lamp; means forsupporting said lamp in juxta-position to the mouthpiece of a telephoneso that the rays of the lamp will enter the mouthpiece thereof; a switchin circuit with said lamp; and a contact device for operating saidswitch, said device extending to a position to be contacted by saidtransmitter when the latter is in the at-rest position on said phone.

GAIL L. DANLEY. ALVIN J. GORDON.

